To win, the Blues had to make an Origin record nine try-saving tackles and defend four of the last five sets of tackles in the match on their own tryline after some refereeing decisions by Shayne Hayne and Ben Cummins that left NSW coach Laurie Daley ‘‘absolutely filthy".

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After being told about Gould’s column by former Blues great Brad Fittler, Daley showed it to his players on the morning of the Origin opener in Brisbane.

‘‘It focused on everything we’d been speaking about,’’ Daley said. ‘‘Gus put it in a way that only he can. The words he put together were exceptional.

‘‘I just passed it around on the morning before the game. I told them to have a read and pass it around. It was the messages we’d been speaking about. He hit the nail on the head.’’

Daley organised for a framed photo of each player as a junior to be pinned up in their lockers on game day, with the words ‘‘This is what you dreamed of your whole life’’ etched on the front.

Veteran forward Luke Lewis, who is the only member of the NSW squad to have played in a winning series, said the photo of him as a six-year-old was a heartfelt gesture from the NSWRL that inspired most of the players.

‘‘It was pretty cool, to be honest with you,’’ Lewis said. ‘‘We had no idea about it. It was really well set up in our lockers, so when I took my jersey down it was right there in front of me. It was really tasteful the way they did it.’’

Lewis said most of the players read Gould’s column. ‘‘Gus knows his footy, and it was all about what Origin is all about and the things Loz had touched on during the week. Just the way he said things about Origin and the way the game is played. He’s really good with words too, so it hit home with a lot of the boys. It was really good.’’

Gould wrote that no matter how well the NSW players performed in the first half, they would need to repeat the effort in the second 40minutes, and his prediction proved spot on as the Blues had to dig deep to hold off the Maroons as they dominated possession and field position in the second term.

Man of the match Hayne, who said ‘‘Individually, I just went to a place I’ve never been before’’, addressed the NSW players at half-time, along with skipper Paul Gallen and five-eighth Josh Reynolds.

‘‘Jarryd has never done anything like that before in Origin at half-time and he led by example,’’ a Blues insider said. ‘‘He just said Queensland were going to grind in the second half so we had to be up for the grind and not to give up.’’

As the players prepared to head back on to the field, Daley said: ‘‘The last thing I will say is that you know why they never lose – because they don’t give up.’’

‘‘Neither do f---ing we,’’ Woods defiantly responded, prompting a round of back-slapping as the fired-up Blues left the dressing room for the second half.

According to Sportsdata, NSW players made a record nine try-saving tackles, with Hayne and second-rower Beau Scott producing two each.

Gallen, Reynolds, winger Brett Morris and interchange forwards Luke Lewis and Tony Williams each produced a try-saving tackle as Queensland had ‘‘all of the good ball, all of the running, all of the momentum, the crowd and the referees’ calls go their way’’ in the second half.

With the Maroons completing 17 of their 21 sets in possessions in the second half compared with NSW completing 12 of 15 sets, the Blues had to make 188 tackles to 140 by Queensland.

Daley spent the last six minutes fuming in the coach’s box as the Maroons had three consecutive sets on the NSW line following decisions by the match officials to rule halfback Trent Hodkinson had lost the ball when it appeared to have been stripped and to give the ball back to Justin Hodges after stopping play to allow Billy Slater to receive treatment for a shoulder injury.

Instead of Hodges playing the ball on the left side of the field where play had been halted, he was allowed to hand it to Greg Inglis and run back to his right centre position so he could receive the ball again on the next play.

The Blues were also unhappy no action was taken against Queensland halfback replacement Daly Cherry-Evans for taking out Michael Jennings when he was running in support of a long break by Hayne.

Daley told his players the win was one of the most courageous in Origin history because of what they overcame in those dying minutes but he reminded them the job was not finished.

‘‘One more win and the series is ours,’’ Daley said.

Twitter @BradWalterSMH

28 comments

I am so glad that the current batch of NSW players can read or at least have a mate that can read to them. There has not been enough difference in talent between the NSW and QLD State of Origin sides in the last eight years to allow one side to win the lot, the difference is what's between the players ears and the side that has the best person to get between the ears of the players wins. Some coaches have been too intelligent for the players, some too old, some too close to the players level or too worried about the politics of their own appointment. In Daley I think they have the balance and his use of Goulds article was golden. We now have the combination. NSW three nil.

Commenter

RTP

Location

Sawtell

Date and time

May 29, 2014, 10:37PM

Once again Phil Gould turns up post victory to claim the win was because of him.Had Queensland won his story would have been how he could have steered NSW to win.Phil, it's all about you, you are the star, thank god your here .....

Commenter

The Bull

Date and time

May 29, 2014, 11:19PM

Gus didn't turn up anywhere , he didn't write this article that you are commenting on , he wrote a previous article before the game that Laurie Daley liked and handed to the team to read before the match, now go back over it in your mind a couple of times again while concentrating and think about it ...Ohh yeah now I get it

Commenter

Gals mate just rocked up

Date and time

May 30, 2014, 9:57AM

Dear @ Gals Mate Just Rocked Up, as I'm older than eight I've seen Phil Gould do this twenty times before, you'll eventually work it out for yourself when you grow up.Do you think Laurie Daley has run to the media holding a piece of paper shouting "We won because Phil Gould told me how, here is his instructions" ...... Look up Bob Fulton, or ask your Dad. Ask him about Daley as a player, then for the last piece of the puzzle find footage of Gould playing and have a laugh between his playing ability and how he remembers it ........ and before you ask who I played for the answer is The Dragons, I was about as good as Phil Gould, so crap.

Commenter

The Bull

Date and time

May 30, 2014, 2:09PM

A great game to the end. It is not over yet though boys. The maroons will come out in Sydney and be hungry to win. NSW can do it - just have the faith!

Commenter

Neweyboy

Location

Newcastle

Date and time

May 30, 2014, 6:31AM

Do you honestly think the players read Gould's column. You are basically talking up a fellow worker who" in the trenches" speeches he has been doing every year for the last eight years. Eventually he is going to be on a winning side.

Please Gould had nothing to do with the win it is all about the players and the coaching staff. League isn't all about Gould even though you think it was sometimes.

Finally get rid of the interchange we want to see tired forwards again

Commenter

kellybellyfonte

Date and time

May 30, 2014, 7:19AM

Hindsight is lovely, isn't it. Would there have been a story about the failure of Gould's article to inspire if the Blues had lost? Of course not! Makes me wonder how many failed 'inspirational guestures' there have been these past eight years...

Commenter

Ruddegar

Date and time

May 30, 2014, 7:23AM

The difference between the two teams as mentioned here is that even in victory the NSW team must winge about decisions that go against them but make no mention of the ones that go for them, the majority of people commenting in the Courier Mail say that the Blues deserved to win this one for their sterling defence , try to remember this when you are beaten in game 2

Commenter

fredor

Date and time

May 30, 2014, 8:26AM

Good article , I think Phil Gould is and has been the best thinker in league for the last ten years , it is inevitable that one day he will end up running the game , the sooner that happens the better, one thing for sure is that he has no hidden agendas and truly has the games best interests in mind.

Commenter

inguswetrust

Date and time

May 30, 2014, 8:34AM

I'm a Queensland supporter, but I must say those last five minutes with the refs was truly bizarre with their rulings. You forgot to mention the kick through from Thurston that hit Hodkinson's arm and was given as a knock on. Not only did it look like the top of the arm (shoulder), but he didn't play at it, and it went backwards. I would also argue that the last penalty where Jennings (?) dived on the ball was fair play. The Queenslander played the ball and the dummy half just stood there. Very weird all around.

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